


A Different Sort of Case

by EventHorizons13



Category: House M.D.
Genre: Angst, Cancer, Car Accidents, Childhood Friends, Childhood Memories, Childhood Trauma, Emotional Hurt, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hospitalization, Hospitals, Jealousy, Mentions of Cancer, Military Families, Princeton Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, Rehabilitation, hints of childhood abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:01:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23652745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EventHorizons13/pseuds/EventHorizons13
Summary: Hattie ends up at PPTH and comes across someone that she thought that she would never see again. She can't escape the hospital thanks to her accident and that someone hadn't wanted anything to do with her years ago. Will she be able to navigate it?
Relationships: Greg House & Original Female Character(s), Greg House/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

The lights above and all around me faded in and out of focus. My body wasn’t responding with anything that I asked it to do. I tried, with some amount of desperation, to move my fingers, move my legs, anything but nothing was coming of it. People were talking around me but the words were completely muffled. Nothing was making sense and a swell of panic hit me. I didn’t know what was going on but before it could get any worse, the blackness enveloped my vision and I passed out. 

There was pain everywhere. I still couldn’t move my arms and legs. Something was very wrong. The sounds around me were still muffled. No one was talking but there was an annoying beep. I felt exhausted, that was what registered the most. I huffed and gave over to the exhaustion, losing all sense of what was happening around me; of what I could and couldn’t do. 

*************

James had all intentions of stopping in the office and talking with House. Everyone had noticed the man cooped up more than usual in his office. His reaction to his particular case was unusual, even by House standards. There was a different level of grumpiness to the man and he was all but sleeping in his office. Which was how he found the man in question when he stopped in front of the door. He thought he was asleep; feet propped up and his head tipped back. Wilson spotted his lips moving despite his position. it was as simple as he was thinking about his current case.

Wilson stepped into the office, his first instinct proven right. House was, in fact, asleep. He crossed his arms over his chest as he observed his friend. Wilson wondered if it was worth waking him up or letting him get the rest that he likely needed. 

His answer became clear to him when he heard the woman’s name mumbled. That had to be a first. House dreaming of a woman? The name repeated itself and he was quick to realize that it was the name of his current patient. That was something that he had to figure out. 

Wilson slammed down one of the books that was on the desk and House jolted awake. Wilson wanted to tease the man. It wasn’t often that he got the opportunity but he wanted to know more about what was happening. That overrode his desire to tease the man. 

“I hear that you have a new case.”

“We already ruled out your specialty sorry. I didn’t know you were going around poaching cases now. Is it getting that slow in oncology?” House cocked his head to the side and pulled his feet off of his desk.

“Yes, because I desperately want my department to be busy. I wish it was overflowing with people who I get to tell they are dying.”

“You said it, not me.” Under normal circumstances, Wilson would have been a bit exasperated by the comment. This was not one of those times and he let it roll right off of his back. 

“You were dreaming about the patient.” Wilson pointed out, able to keep a smile off of his face by the skin of his teeth. House was obsessive yes but not that sort of obsessive. He didn’t dream about his patients.

“I was dreaming about closing the case. There’s a difference. Or do I need to disclose all my dreams to you now Mum?” 

“You said her name.” Wilson pointed out. “You never know a patient’s name. And you’ve been in her room. Without her being awake.” If it wasn’t relevant in a medical sense, House didn’t bother learning it. He was sure that the man wouldn’t know if his patient was male or female if it didn’t affect the possibility of a diagnosis. He rarely, if ever saw patients either. That was a big deal. 

“I needed to do an exam myself.” It was a bullshit excuse and at that moment, they both knew it. James knew better than to push his friend though. If he wanted to get this figured out, he couldn’t have the man completely closing off. It was a tendency he had when things got a little too personal. House didn’t ever, ever bother respecting personal boundaries. This was going to be the one time that James paid his friend back with a taste of his own medicine. He was going to figure this out one way or another. 

*************

There were people around me. The words this time came much more clear than they had the previous times I had woken up. Several voices all spoke though I couldn’t make out what they were saying exactly. I opened my eyes and it took several long seconds for the people to come into focus. One was at my arm, drawing some blood. Another was standing looking at a vitals screen. The third had a chart in hand. They were talking to one another, not realizing I was awake yet. That was until the person at the monitor turned and saw me. 

“We weren’t sure you were ever going to wake up.” A light shone in my eye without warning. “How are you feeling?” 

“Give her a second to breathe.” The female was the one that spoke. I looked towards her and then the other man at my side. Not that I could move my head all that much. I realized that I was stuck in a collar. It wasn’t comfortable in the least. He didn’t say anything right away but smiled at me. 

“Feel like shit,” I mumbled, trying to catch up to what was happening. I didn’t know how I ended up in the hospital. The last thing that I remembered was being on the highway, heading towards New York. “What happened?” I didn’t care who answered me, all I wanted some answers.

“The rest of you, out.” That was a familiar voice. It wasn’t like I could forget the one that I had spent the better part of my first twenty-four years on this Earth with. Of all the hospitals I could be at, it had to be Princeton-Plainsboro. We may not have talked in almost twenty-one years but I had kept up with his doings. He was a top diagnostician, something that hadn’t come as a surprise. He had needed to finish med school in the formal sense the last time we saw or spoke to one another. 

“But…” All three wanted to argue with him on that front, though none of them seemed all too willing to take on the man.

“Out.” I risked looking towards one Gregory House. The cane and the limp were new. The drawn, weary, pained face was out of place on his face. Both made up a different man standing in front of me than the one I had known. He had aged well. That much I could say. I had thought about the possibility of meeting him again. Though I never imagined that it would be under these sorts of circumstances. Everything that I had come up with faded on the tip of my tongue. All those things that I had wanted to say after he had upped and left vanished. He had demanded that I leave his life but he had made the decision for me. 

He moved over to the edge of the bed, not saying a damn thing to help move this along. It felt uncomfortable though what more could be expected? He was the one who had upped and left. He didn’t want me around when I had been ready to follow him wherever. Like I always had. It was a pathetic thought and one that I hadn’t grown out of despite the therapy. 

“Your kidneys are failing.” Right down to business. 

“That still doesn’t explain how I ended up here in the first place.” 

“You’re also anemic.” I wasn’t going to get the answers that I wanted out of him so I was going to have to wait and play his game. He wasn’t going to acknowledge that he knew me, he wasn’t even looking at me. I didn’t understand why he had asked the other doctors to leave the room. He was going to pretend that I was another patient. There was nothing for him to hide and if he didn’t want to say anything then I wouldn’t. I couldn’t push him for it since it would only make him shut down ten times faster. House worked at his own pace and everyone else around him needed to be able to adapt to it. If they didn’t, they ended up left behind in the dust. 

I waited, quiet, for him to continue with whatever else he wanted to tell me. There was more there. 

“And with a fever, none of that makes sense with a car wreck.” He finally looked up at me, leaning with a heavy stance on the cane, tipped to a hint to his right. There was my answer and it made sense given the last thing that I remembered. “So, the question is why.” He was asking me like I knew the answer to that. He was the one that had taken an interest in medicine. I was the one who loved history. He moved to the side of the bed, allowing me to track him with my eyes. It was a weird sensation, not being able to move the neck.

It was that moment that I tried to move my arms and legs but found that I still couldn’t. 

“That should wear off in another few days.” He said as he poked at my arm. I could feel that at least. “At least in your upper half. There’s no real telling what will happen with your legs.” He was never one to pull punches. Others would have panicked about it and lashed out at him. I panicked but was grateful to know the sort of road of recovery that I was looking at. I could digest the information later and mourn for whatever I had to when I was on my own. I wasn’t about to cry in front of the man. 

“I take it you’re asking why because nothing has come back conclusive?” He was silent as his eyes moved over me again. I could see that I was right though, there was no denying the twitch of his lips. “But everyone lies so it’s not like you can trust anything I have to say.” Maybe it was a subtle dig at the man, one that he wasn’t going to overlook. I knew that it had to be the last one that I threw at him.

“What are the differential diagnoses?” 

“Cut them in half. Stopped the antibiotics and you aren’t getting any better. There wasn’t a hint of cancer anywhere on your scans. We were waiting to see if you took any medications but even if you did, you have been here well over a week. Anything that you take would be out of your system by now.” He wasn’t answering me about what he thought it was. Having cancer ruled out was at least reassuring. Not like I wanted to go through with that again. 

“Done the cancer thing once. Nice to hear that I don’t have to do it again.” 

“What?”

“Leukemia. About ten years ago.” I offered without needing him to prompt further. “Had about six months worth of radiation. A year’s worth of other treatments after before they found a matching donor. Been fine since the bone marrow transplant.” He frowned and the wheels in his head were turning like that. It was as simple as a snap of the fingers. 

“Should be on the bracelet that I wear.”

“You didn’t come in wearing any jewelry.”

“There’s a card in my wallet too.” 

“Destroyed in the wreck, so they said.” That was sort of crucial information for any doctor to know. It was why I tried to make sure that it was available in as many different forms as possible. The bracelet must have broken off in the crash. I couldn’t do much anything about a wallet ending up destroyed in a wreck. There was no point in hiding or lying about any of that. It would be necessary if he was going to figure out what the hell was going on with me. 

“Bone marrow transplant…” He muttered before leaving the room without another word. Judging by the look on his face before he left, it was enough information to trigger whatever was happening in his brain. That was good enough for me. I wasn’t sure if I would see him again.


	2. Chapter 2

_The game had been a pick me up sort of decision. There wasn’t anyone on the team. So, it wasn’t like he would be competing against anyone who was still playing the sport in any active capacity. I knew that it didn’t matter. He would remain as competitive as ever, wanting to win and prove himself the best out there. I had come along to watch, always enjoying the game and the way that he played. I had finished all my work for the weekend as early as possible and had nothing else to focus on. So, I figured why not come down and get a little entertainment? All while supporting Greg. And making sure that he didn’t end up doing something a little too foolish in the middle of the game. **  
**_

_The guys were all taking their places. It was a cool autumn day in New York City, the crisp air making it perfect for being outside. I settled down on a blanket that I had brought, leaving the bag of water and snacks behind me for the time being. They would be important later on. There was a clash of sticks. The hollowed aluminum mixture that made up the sticks had a distinct sound when they hit one another. It signaled that the game was beginning._

_As I had imagined, Greg was over competitive for the game that was being played. But he seemed to be enjoying himself. That was what mattered in the end. That and the fact that he didn’t get into a fight with the other men on the field. I didn’t feel like having to bail him out of jail because of something stupid._

_It was a joy to watch him out on the field, competitive or not. He was a skilled player and had a natural talent for the game. I was certain that if he wasn’t so focused on medicine, he would have been playing on the team. Then again, he had almost gone into physics and that likely would have consumed his life on the same scale. That had been his personality since we were young._

_I cheered, playful, as he shot over his shoulder, the ball finding its way into the net. I could see the smile that he sent in my direction._

************

I woke with a start. That was a dream that I hadn’t had in a long time. I hadn’t had any dreams about Greg in a long time. It would make sense though that seeing him had caused my subconscious to kick into overdrive. The most recent memories, and they weren’t exactly recent, were of us in college. He wasn’t playing lacrosse anymore with that limp and the cane, that was for certain. I wanted to be able to rub my eyes, something, anything. I couldn’t get my arm that high yet. 

It had been three days since Greg had shown up. The next time a doctor appeared in my room, it was one of the three that had been there when I had first woken up. They stated that they knew what was wrong with me and were treating it. TTP it was called. It seemed from my bone marrow transplant years ago. It explained the headaches that I had been having before all this. At least that was what they had assumed. It also covered the kidney failure and the fever that I had been running in the hospital. 

I was feeling better. The issue with the paralysis came from some compression on my spine. The rollover accident had caused me to fracture several vertebrae. They were confident that I would regain my motor skills but it was going to be a long process. I was going to need to relearn how to walk. Right now, it was a matter of retraining my muscles and brain to get my upper limbs to function first. 

The nurse came in and sat me up. 

“How are you feeling today sweetie?” 

“I guess maybe a little better than yesterday. I can move my fingers a little more so it’s something.” I was going bored out of my mind. I was thankful that I had slept for a chunk of the time that I was in the hospital. But soon enough, that was going to not be the case. I wanted to at least have use of my hands and arms to be able to turn on the TV or read. Something was better than staring at the walls of this damned room with a blank expression. She moved about, checking my IV line and vitals before heading out, leaving me to my own devices once more. 

The silence was about to drive me crazy when the door to the room slid open again. There was a man in a white coat. He was a doctor, there was no doubt there, but not one that I had seen before. He had a kind smile on his face as he made his way into the room. 

“Hello.” He grabbed my chart and began looking through it. I didn’t know who he was and he hadn’t introduced himself yet. He could have been from the rehab. “I’m Dr. Wilson. I work in oncology.” That didn’t seem right. Greg had said something about no cancer found on any of the scans. Unless there was concern about the leukemia coming back. He seemed to notice my panicked face and was quick to shook his head. 

“No, it’s nothing like that.” He promised, with the same speed as the head shake. “Just double-checking everything considering your history.”

“Gr…” I paused and stopped myself. “Dr. House had made mention that the scans didn’t show anything. Is it safe to assume that the blood work would be a bit inconclusive because of the TTP?” I had picked up a few things, not only from Greg but from my illness years ago. There was a certain amount of things that you learned going through that sort of ordeal. 

“You would be correct.” He chuckled a bit, something about the look on his face told me that it wasn’t just the knowledge that I displayed. His eyes had darted away a little quicker and there was a hint of a smile there. “Sorry. Not used to having patients have an idea of what they are talking about. I tend to deal with people who are newly diagnosed.” 

“It’s fine,” I promised. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Like I had been in one hell of a car accident.” His hands found their way into his pockets as he stood there.

“I would imagine so.” There was a pause. “I see that you already have regained some use of your arms.” 

“Not as much as I would like but yeah. I guess it’s better than nothing at the moment. I’ll be happier when I can take this neck stabilizer off honestly.” That wouldn’t be for quite some time according to what I had been told. They wanted whatever breaks as stable as possible while they healed. “Not really looking forward to having to relearn to walk.” 

“Understandable. We have an excellent rehab here. I am sure that they will have you up and moving about in no time.” He hesitated before asking whatever it was that was sitting on the tip of his tongue. He didn’t ask it though, instead nodding to himself. “I’ll check in tomorrow. Is there anything that I can get you in the meantime?” 

“A book would be fantastic. I’ll take anything at this point.” It would be difficult but I would figure it out. Even if I had to have one of the nurses read to me. It was better than nothing at all. 

“Do you have a preference?” 

“Something historical, non-fiction. That’s preferred. But like I said, anything at this point. Thank you.” He nodded. 

“I’ll see what I can do. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thank you Dr. Wilson.” He left without another word. It was an interesting interaction. But then again, oncologists were a unique breed all their own. It was a difficult specialty and took a special sort of person to manage to get through it. I let it drift from my mind and worked on moving my fingers again, passing the time as best as I could. I had nothing better to focus on than trying to strengthen my muscles once again.

***************

_The sand was kicking up around us, making it hard to see. Greg didn’t want to go home yet so we were going to stay out here. I was a little scared by it but I wasn’t leaving my friend on his own. He didn’t like being home but he never told me why._

_“Come on Hattie.” Greg held out his hand for me. We were still on the base so it wasn’t like we could truly get lost. We knew better than to wander past the houses in weather like this. I took his hand and he pulled me down the street. There was a stack of toys that we could play with, kept in a shed towards the last house on the left._

_I looked back towards the house before pulling the bandana tighter over my face. Greg had wrapped it around my head when we had stepped outside, as if he knew the sand was going to kick up. Greg was always smart like that, always thinking ahead._

_We made it to the shed and pulled it open. He rummaged around for a few moments before he found what he had wanted to play with. He triumphantly pulled a small shovel and bucket from the bottom of the pile._

_“I thought you wanted to play.”_

_“I do. We are going to go look for treasure!” His smile was bright._

_“Treasure?”_

_“Well yeah….we are in Egypt. They buried loads of things! The books I read said so. Come on. I know you like old things Hattie.” He was right. I did like old things._

_“But what if it gets worse out there?” I rarely if ever said no to Greg. He was my only friend. We moved so much but every time we did, his family did too._

_“I’ll keep you safe.” He promised and held out his hand again._

_“Okay.” We stepped back outside. The wind had gotten a little worse and the sand was blowing a little harder. Greg knew where he wanted to go dig and he tugged me along again._

*************

Dr. Wilson came back just like he said he would, though given that he was a doctor it wasn’t all that surprising. What was surprising was that he had kept his words about the books. He had a small stack sitting in his arms. 

“I wasn’t sure what your area of interest was so I picked up a few different things.” He gave a kind smile and moved to set them down on the table beside my bed. They were close enough that I might be able to reach out and grab one of them. Once I had enough strength that was.

“I’ll take anything I can get my hands on. Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.” It wasn’t like I had family in the area that was going to visit me or bring me things. I was on my own beyond whatever help and kindness that I was going to receive from the staff here.

“No problem at all.” He stood beside the bed for a moment before doing an actual exam. “How are you feeling today.”

“Well I could scratch my nose. So it’s a damn good day.” He laughed and it brought a smile to my face finally. He had a nice laugh and right now, I was clinging to anything nice. I needed human contact besides the nurse coming in and out of the room on rounds. 

“That’s certainly one way to look at it.” He had me squeeze both of his hands before checking the sensation in both my arms and my legs. I still wasn’t able to move either leg but it was still an improvement over what I had been. At least I had gained the feeling and movement of my arms back. I wasn’t sure if I could feel the touch to my legs yet. There was a moment where it felt discouraging. Terrifying if I allowed myself to actually dwell on it. I was trying not to. I didn’t want to cause myself any panic and I had to focus on the positive. If I put too much thought into the negative, then I wouldn’t be able to keep moving forward. Dr. Wilson was quick to assure me that it would come back when he saw the look on my face. 

“Things are going to be okay. You’ve already progressed quicker than we would have expected. I know you want to get moving but you are still healing. It is going to take some time. You have been through a lot of trauma. Between the accident and your illness, your body needs time.” I let out a small sigh. It wasn’t like I could nod to show that I understood. The stabilizer kept me from doing that. He smiled again. “I am sure that you will be up and in the rehab in no time. We’re going to want to keep checking your blood. We want to make sure that the treatment is working and keep an eye on anything that could pop up. You don’t need to be catching any other infection while you are in here.“ 

"Right. That sounds easy enough.” He laughed and it brought a small laugh out of me. He was good at his job. I didn’t need to receive treatment from him to know that for sure. The small interactions that we had up to that point was more than enough. He had a reassuring nature about him that would be good for cancer patients. There was a genuine compassion and a love for what he did. His bedside manner was what I would want if I had to hear those dreaded words once more. 

“I have a question…” He finally came out and asked. I wondered if it was what he had been ready to ask yesterday. Before he could say anything though, his beeper went off. He frowned and looked down at it. “We are going to have to put that thought on hold. I have to go.”

“Of course.” There were other patients that he dealt with that must have been more critical than I was. It was a given with the size of the hospital. He nodded, giving me one more smile, before leaving the room in a hurry.


	3. Chapter 3

James walked into the room, only to find it empty. He frowned, glancing around. There was no one and the bed looked made. There hadn’t been a patient here in a while, judging from the looks of things. He grabbed his beeper and looked at it again, wanting to know who the page had come from. He didn’t recognize the number and huffed. It must have been a mistake.

“Ah, Wilson. Just the man I was looking for.” That was House. James turned around to look at the man.

“Did you page me to this room?” The look on his face, the one that always appeared when House ended up called out on what he did, made an appearance. Wilson knew right then and there that House was the one that had been responsible for it. He didn’t know why though. He didn’t think that the man was going to be giving up the answer without a fight. It wouldn’t be easy if he even managed to get it out of the man.

“Uh, no. If I was looking for you, it implies that I didn’t know where you were. Now,” He turned and expected Wilson to follow him. “I have things we need to talk about. Are you coming?“ 

Wilson remained rooted to his spot. The urge to ignore the other was high but he knew that there would be hell to pay if he did what he wanted to do. House could be a mean son of a bitch when the time called for it. With a shake of his head, James moved after his friend. It was better than having to suffer later on. 

"What do you need to talk to me about this time?” The only sound for a moment was the tapping of the cane against the tile floor. Even the nurses were silent as they passed. 

“I need you to look at a scan." 

"You’re asking for help?" 

"Or I could be wrong and send the patient home to die. It would be a shame if someone was going to lose sleep over something like that.” There was a goad if there ever was one. James looked towards his friend and tried to determine if he was serious about this or not. House wasn’t one to ask for help. There had to be some sort of reason behind it. There was some ulterior motive there.

“You know I will look at it." 

"Oh goody. I’m sure the patient’s gonna be so thrilled that we have found a doctor that gave a shit. I don’t know if he was enjoying Foreman’s company. Bit of a hardass if you ask me. Not nearly caring enough.” James rolled his eyes but didn’t take the bait and offer up anything to the comment. House and Foreman were seeing eye to eye, less and less these days, butting heads on a near-constant basis. It had created tension within the group but it was an elephant that no one wanted to address. Cameron and Chase both valued their jobs and had a little too much respect for House to step in and say something. They would hit their breaking points. It was a simple matter of when. 

House rode Foreman harder in a lot of ways. That had to be the cause of the man reaching that point faster than the others. Coupled with the by the rules attitude that Foreman had, it made the perfect mixture ready to explode. 

He entered the office and moved over to the lightbox to look at the scans that House had placed up. Nothing stood out right away. He could never tell in these moments if this was a test or not. House oftentimes saw something that others had missed. Despite his attitude, he did like to have confirmation. Generally it was from someone that he respected rather than any old doctor. Especially if a treatment hadn’t worked the first time around. Other times, he liked to fuck with others and test their abilities. James did not find himself on the latter side of things too often. His eyes moved over the scan, careful and methodical. Everything looked normal. Until he reached the seventy-second image. His head cocked to the side and he raised a finger.

“Here.” He could almost hear the smirk that came to his friend’s face. He had seen something on the scan and was waiting to see what the oncologist thought. “There’s a shift to the right.”

“That’s what I saw. I’ll send him for a more detailed scan with contrast. A tumor would explain all the symptoms he is presenting with and why the first treatment didn’t work.”

***************

Dr. Wilson had not been back since the day that he had fled the room. None of the testing had come back with worrying signs. It was another positive that I was going to have to take. There wasn’t much for me to hang my hat on at the moment so the small things were going to have to work. 

The strength had returned to my arms in another week. I was still ready to go out of my mind with the immobility I faced as I hadn’t gained any use of my legs yet. Nursing staff reminded me not to get too discouraged about it. I had already made a healthy amount of progress already and they were quick to bring up that point. 

I was now at least able to read. That passed time much better than having to stare at the walls around me. The books that he had brought were perfect and several that I hadn’t been able to read yet. 

I had a book propped up in my lap when the man in question came by again. I found myself smiling. I abandoned my current activity, mid sentence, to give him some proper attention. 

“Good afternoon Dr. Wilson. To what do I owe the pleasure this time?" 

"I see you’re working through what I brought. With a pretty impressive speed.” He laughed as he looked at the broken down spines of the books. 

“Not like I have much else to do. There’s only so much TV to watch before your brain starts to melt from your ears.” The comment brought another smile from the man as he moved to the bed. 

“Any change with the legs?" 

"Not yet. I thought I wriggled a toe this morning but the nursing staff didn’t seem to see it.” He wasn’t a neurologist so I wondered if he had something else to tell me. I hoped that none of the bloodwork had come back with anything worrisome. I couldn’t think of another reason that the specialist would be visiting me. “Something that I need to worry about?” He glanced up from the end of the bed and shook his head.

“No, no. Sorry. I wanted to stop and check in, is all. Nothing as far as I am aware to concern yourself with. Everything looked fantastic the last time I saw any of the bloodwork.” That was sweet of him. It was nice to see another face besides the nurses.

“Thank you. It is nice to actually conversate with someone. The nurses are always busy, not that I can blame them for that. I’m not the only patient on the floor and I am sure that there are others who are much more sick than I am.”

“You don’t have any family to come visit?" 

"No. My father died several years ago. My mother never quite recovered from the loss and passed shortly after. Only child so it isn’t like I have any siblings I can call on. I was only driving through New Jersey so there aren’t any friends in the area either.” That idea didn’t seem to sit well with him. It didn’t bother me all that much, minus the mind numbing boredom that came with it. “It isn’t that big of a deal. Really. You were kind enough to bring me these books and they are keeping me occupied. It was a big help.” His beeper went off again, like it had a few days ago. 

“I’m sorry. I have to take this. I’ll stop by before the end of my shift.” He promised with a softer smile. He didn’t have to do that but I wasn’t going to argue with him over it. The company was nice and he was a sweet man. He had to have better things to do with his time but I appreciated it nonetheless and was feeling a little selfish. 

*****************

After that, it became a routine. Dr. Wilson would visit at the end of his shifts about four times a week. It was a bright spot in my otherwise monotonous routines. He always had a new book ready by the end of the week. I had insisted that he not spend money since I wouldn’t be able to pay him back. It took some convincing but in the end, he did agree to take them out from the local library. 

Those were the nights that I looked forward to the most. The conversation flowed with ease and there were plenty of laughs had. The distraction that he provided was invaluable. In those moments, I wasn’t hostage to the bed or stuck in the small hospital room. 

Along with his visit, I was beginning to get more movement and strength back in my legs. It had started out small; a wriggle of a toe here, the sharp stick of a pin there when they checked. It was more difficult to work those muscles than it had been my arms. The times that I felt discouraged were more and more frequent. I could only manage to swing my right leg over the edge of the bed by the end of the third week. My left leg remained useless against the bed, though I had gained movement of my ankle. 

Greg hadn’t stopped in to see me again. I assumed that he wasn’t going to and that was the end of things. I could accept that reality. He had done it once before and the simple fact that he treated me didn’t reopen that door. It stung, I couldn’t lie about that. But I hadn’t been foolish enough to cling to a false sense of hope either. Once his mind was set, it was set. There was very little that could persuade him off of that path. It was what made him a good diagnostician. 

James, as he had insisted on the first name basis, wasn’t called away again during our meetings. He left his beeper behind, a rational choice since it was the end of his shifts. Something always tended to catch his eye though when he would look out of the room. I wasn’t able to turn quick enough to catch it. 

The stabilizer had come off of my head and neck only a few days ago. They were getting me ready to head to the hospital’s rehab center. I couldn’t have been more thrilled. It was a change of scenery and the promise of better things to come. It meant that I was improving. 

“I hear that you are being kicked over to rehab.” I looked up to see James walk in. It wasn’t an evening that he meant to show but I gave him a smile anyway, thrilled to see the man. 

“That’s what they are telling me. Suppose I have caused enough ruckus around here that it was coming sooner or later." 

"I’m sure the nurses are over the moon to see you go.” The comment came with a laugh. “Your name has become associated with trouble around here. The whole hospital knows it. Don’t think those nurses over in rehab are going to take any of your schtick.”

“Oh whatever will I do?” I rolled my eyes but smiled anyway. The playfulness that had developed between us was something that I treasured. “I need to be able to cause trouble somewhere. It’s my only form of entertainment in this petri dish." 

"I’m sure that you will find it well enough over there. They’ll have you working so hard that you’ll be wishing to come back here.” He kept by the door, not moving any further into the room as he usually would. There seemed to be that look of concentrating yet questioning that had become common. There was question sitting on the tip of his tongue that he refused to release out into the open. He had come close over the past few weeks but had never had enough of a push to go over the edge. 

“James…” I shifted in the bed. “I know there is something that you have been wanting to ask. You’ve kept it to yourself this long. There isn’t a point in hiding it. What did you want to ask?” He had the decency to look somewhat ashamed. 

“It’s nothing important Hattie. There are more important things for you to focus on. It doesn’t matter anyway.” That was bullshit and we both knew it. If it didn’t matter, it would have disappeared after the first day and never showed up on his face again. I debated if I was going to press him for more. I hadn’t yet. I didn’t know if I would get the chance to see him again so I figured why not go for it?

“If it wasn’t anything important, you wouldn’t be still debating saying anything.” A small smile came to his face. 

“You are too observant." 

"Had years of practice with a friend." 

"It is nothing that you have to worry about. I mean it Hattie. I’ll make sure to stop and see how you are doing once you get settled in. I am sure that you will be up and walking in no time.”

“That’s what you said weeks ago. And here I still am. But, thank you James.”


	4. Chapter 4

The book slamming down on the desk was what pulled House out of his musing. His entire body jolted with the force of the sound. Glaring up at the offender, he found that Wilson had once again entered the office. 

“You know her.“ 

"It would be helpful to know the her that you are referring to this time around. If it is the little number that you are seeing down in the neurology department, then no I don’t know her. Not as well as you at least.” Wilson rolled his eyes, exasperation rolling from every ounce of his being. 

“You damn well know who I am talking about House. Hattie. You know, the name that you have been saying in your sleep any time you pass out in this office. The one that you treated weeks ago. The one that was at one point a friend of yours. Lord only knows what happened between the two of you but you know one another.” It was subtle but the twitch of the man’s jaw was enough to give it away. James was right. He knew the woman as more than a patient and House had given it away. Whether he knew that or not was a different story. “She’s had no one here!”

“You both have seemed to get rather close. She doesn’t need me when she has a bleeding heart like you draped all over her.” James couldn’t believe that he was hearing. That was jealousy. House was jealous about how close he had gotten to the woman. He thought that he would never see the day. House could act like a child whose favorite toy was stolen all the damn time. Genuine jealousy was something different. It existed on a different plane. He had never seen House jealous about a woman before. He had been right but he didn’t know what to do with it. 

“She needed a friend. She is here all alone, House. You weren’t giving up any information on how you knew her. But don’t worry, she didn’t either. I put the pieces together. Are you going to explain what happened?”

“There’s nothing to tell. Leave it be.”

“The least you could do is pay her a visit.”

“I don’t have to do anything. Or did you forget that you aren’t a parent that can boss me around? And oh, that’s right. You can’t go running to Cuddy to get what you want because it isn’t related to patient care.” He was right there and James had to acknowledge that he found himself backed into a corner. The fact that House was so adamant and vehement in his protests was enough to tell him some things. This woman was once close to House. It was possible that it was before Stacy, before the mess with his leg. 

Hattie had mentioned that her father was a military man and House had mentioned the same. They could have known one another from a young age. Only they knew how long that friendship had lasted. He didn’t think he would get any more information out of House at the moment. He wasn’t going to let the subject go untouched from here though. He wanted to know more, had to figure out what had tied them together and what had caused the break. House didn’t have many friends and Hattie seemed like a good soul. She could be good for the man. If he ever let her close again. He wasn’t sure Hattie would push if House didn’t open up a little. 

“Just…” James sighed. “Think about it okay? Think you might find yourself surprised if you sit down and talk with her.” He left it at that and walked out of the room to leave the man with his thoughts. He hoped that he had planted a seed deep enough to get him to consider it. He wanted House to go talk to the woman. He had a feeling that she wouldn’t mind it. She might not be happy with him at first but it would work out for the both of them in the end. House deserved to have someone who knew him. Even if it was on the level of friendship alone. 

Something else had been simmering there below the surface though. He could feel that much. There was something there when he talked to House about her. Similar in a lot of ways to the way that the man looked when they talked about Stacy. It wasn’t a look that was common on the man’s face. Hattie would be in rehab by now. He would give her a few days to settle in and get into some sort of routine before he visited her again. He hoped that in that time, House would be able to get off whatever high horse he was stuck on and visit her. 

**********

Rehab was a bitch. Wilson hadn’t been wrong when he had forewarned me that I would end up exhausted. After the first two days, I was wishing that I was back over in the main part of the hospital. I was sore in places that I didn’t realize I had muscle. I expected the work to be hard but not this difficult. It was a whole new level of work, something that I had never experienced in my life. They kept pushing medication and making me drink various protein shakes. I had lost enough muscle mass laying around in the bed, giving them cause for concern. There was only so much that my body was going to be able to do with the muscle that I had left. I was grateful that they weren’t those awful tasting gym rat ones. They varied it up with chocolate and berry flavors, making them more than tolerable. 

James had not stopped in for a visit, though I suspected he was giving me some time to settle in. Those first days, I would not have been able to entertain anyone. The exhaustion was so deep that I passed out by the time that they settled me back into the bed. Progress had been slow, though it was following a better progression than expected. I had to be thankful for that even if I was more ready to tear out my hair. 

They hadn’t come to retrieve me for the morning torture session yet, leaving me to sip on the protein shake. Chocolate this morning, my favorite of the flavors since it added a little extra sweetness to it. Eyes closed, I was trying to relax before the work out that was coming. With my concentration focused on the way that I was now able to roll my ankles, I missed the door opening. The nurses were not supposed to come by for another hour. They gave me an hour to drink the shake and another hour to let it sit so I was less likely to vomit it up when they began to push. 

A throat clearing was what caught my attention and it startled me. I dumped the rest of my shake to the side and cursed. I did not bother to look to see who had caused the accident, focused on trying to not get covered in the mess instead. I folded the sheets, tossing them in reality, and set them on the floor so the bed itself wouldn’t get soaked. Whoever it was that had entered the room was laughing at the misfortune. 

The words died as soon as I looked up and saw Greg standing before the bed. Well, that was about as unexpected as it could get. After he had treated me, saving my life more than likely, I hadn’t expected to see him again. He had shown up once and that was it. There had been no sign that he wanted anything else to do with me after he had solved the case. That was how his mind worked after all, more focused on the puzzle than the individual. 

“Greg…” That was a good start. I could have slapped myself if he wasn’t staring at me. I had to say something else and gain some sense of footing. Having a conversation with the man while not standing on a stable ground was dangerous. I didn’t know what he wanted or why he was here. “Uh, hey. I didn’t expect to see you again.” I was going to leave the hospital once the doctors have given me the all clear. The plan was to walk out of his life as fast as I had re-entered it. He hadn’t wanted anything to do with me so there was no point in pressing for more. I had thought that he had made his decision loud and clear. 

He was moving before saying anything, settling into the comfortable armchair. It was where they placed me when they wanted me up but didn’t want to exercise me. His eyes were still critical as he remained silent. It was getting to the point of being uncomfortable. I knew if I squirmed though, he would have won whatever was happening here. 

“Are you just going to sit there and stare at me? Or are you going to say something?” There, I had called him out on it and now had to wait to see if he said anything to that. He could continue to ignore the need to speak and stare instead. I could not tell if it would be awkward to call a nurse and ask her to escort him out of the room. He was a doctor. But, he wasn’t my doctor. He didn’t have to be in this room and couldn’t hide behind the whole being a doctor excuse. This could be the one chance I had to sort things out with him though and I would suffer the discomfort for that chance. Another few moments of silence passed between us. Right as I was about to call for the nurse, he opened his mouth. 

“How’s the rehab going?” It felt a forced and awkward sentiment. He had never been great at making small talk. There were other things that he wanted to say. 

“Can move my feet now. Don’t get much more than two or three steps in but the nurses couldn’t be more thrilled about it.” That excitement was a little insulting if I was honest about it. I understood that they were trying to maintain a positive outlook and ensure that I did the same. But two steps were nothing when I was learning how to walk all over again. I would be happy with progress when I could make it to the bathroom on my own. Feeling like some sort of invalide was taxing mentally. A tremendous weight would lift off my shoulders once I could do that on my own. That would be something that would justify some happiness and excitement. 

“They do have a tendency to be over the top with such small accomplishments.” He snipped back. “After not being able to walk a few steps isn’t a big deal after all.” I didn’t have it in me to fight with him. If he was only here to snip at me, then he could leave and I could try to get on again with the whole ignoring his presence here.

“Why are you here?” I could even hear the resignation in my voice. That was almost impressive but he had a way of pulling that out of someone. He twirled his cane in his hand, remaining quiet again for a good few minutes. He didn’t have an answer for me, he couldn’t tell me why he was in this room. That was why he was quiet. He rarely let questions like that linger in the open, unless he did not have a response. I wanted to throw my hands in the air. He wanted to be the one to leave, he wanted to sever ties and ignore my presence. Like we hadn’t grown up together or spent years figuring out what our lives were going to be. Everything that had taken years to establish had evaporated with a simple letter. Now that there was a chance or correct the wrong, if he even viewed it as a wrong, and he had nothing to say. Instead of throwing a fit like I wanted to, I let out a sigh and motioned to the door.

“If you have nothing to say, you can leave." 

"It’s been a long time.” That was stating the obvious. Not helpful in the least but this tone had softened enough that I couldn’t say anything. I had to wait it out and see what he had to say for himself. I swallowed down the harsh comment that had rushed to the forefront of my mind. There were a few seconds where I had to remind myself to stay calm and give him some time. 

“It has,” Twenty one years to be exact. But, who was counting? “A long time Greg." 

"The job down in DC seems to be treating you well.” The fact that he knew where I was working caught me off guard. I didn’t expect him to have kept up with my whereabouts and what I was doing. My name ended up attached to several recent published papers. Work at the archives, the research that occurred there, was never dull and never at an end. There was always something else that needed investigation. One thing led to another, new findings that needed exploration. That was a thought for another time, my work set on the backburner. Asking how he knew about that would be a moot point. The chances that he had read any of the articles was high since he had known about the job at the Archives. 

“I couldn’t ask for much better.” I admitted, voice as soft as his was at that moment. This was not the Greg that I expected to have to handle. “You’ve done quite well for yourself here.”

The conversation was at best stilted as the both of us attempted to gain footing. Neither could decide on where to take it; so many years had passed and the comfort level wasn’t there. We used to be able to talk about anything and everything. The subject didn’t matter, we confided in one another without hesitation. This? It made that twenty-one year gap all the more obvious. it was going to be painful for both parties but it was a long time coming. There was no getting out of it now that he was here and opened that door. I shifted in the bed, finally giving into the urge to squirm a little bit. He was in the same sort of discomfort if the way that his eyes remained glued to the floor was anything to go by. That at least made it more tolerable, knowing that he was struggling as much.


End file.
